Transition towards a circular economy

Efficient waste management

Natural resources are becoming increasingly scarce around the world. We can only operate sustainably if we use raw materials we need efficiently. This includes the responsible management of waste, as it contains valuable resources that can be recycled and reused. In the healthcare sector, strict hygiene requirements apply to the materials used and to the safe disposal of hazardous waste. We ensure compliance with strict internal guidelines and comprehensive controls.

Through systematic waste management, we aim to reduce our consumption of materials and minimize the amount of waste generated. To this end, we want to increase the recycling rate of packaging materials in the clinics by using primarily paper and lightweight packaging. The aim is to prevent metal, plastic, or tetrapack packaging from entering the waste mix in order to promote the recycling of these materials.

At the end of 2023, a review of the previous intra-hospital waste procedure was initiated to align it with more demanding segregation standards, which will be implemented in 2024. This will standardize waste management processes across all of our centers while ensuring alignment with the company’s waste commitment and strategy.

In accordance with the established principles, our main objectives related to waste management are as follows:

• Eliminating health, human, and environmental risks.
• Achieving correct identification and segregation of waste.
• Avoiding occupational accidents for personnel in the handling of waste.

In 2023, we already had a data collection system in place that allows us to better track data through a dashboard.

As a result of the activities carried out in the centers, the waste generated by Quirónsalud is classified into four main groups which, in turn, are mainly integrated into two categories:

Non-hazardous waste

Non-hazardous waste includes the typical items we dispose of in our daily lives that do not pose an immediate threat to human health. In our clinics, non-hygienic waste, which is equivalent to domestic waste, and hygienic waste, which is equivalent to municipal waste, are generated and collected separately. This facilitates their subsequent treatment and recycling.

To make this separation possible, our hospitals have specific containers for separating the different recyclable fractions. These containers are located in places where this type of waste is generated more frequently, such as in the general stores, pharmacy, waiting rooms, and cleaning services. Non-hazardous waste is primarily collected by municipal systems, with the exception of a certain number of centers where this type of waste is privately managed.

Hazardous waste

In the world of waste management, hazardous waste stands out as a critical issue that requires special attention. Unlike non-hazardous waste, it poses a serious threat to human health and the environment and therefore needs to be managed appropriately.

The treatment that hazardous waste receives varies depending on the group to which it belongs:

Biological waste – Cytostatic waste – Liquid chemical waste – Solid chemical waste

The safety of people and the environment is always a priority, and reuse or recycling of the waste generated is therefore prohibited in some cases. For example, biological waste must be sterilized or, in the case of cytostatic waste, needs to be incinerated. Chemical waste also requires special treatment to ensure proper disposal and respective safety. Due to the nature of our activities, the largest volume of hazardous waste is concentrated in the infectious or biological risk waste group.

Food waste

When caring for patients, a balanced diet is important for their recovery. We also want to provide relatives and our employees with a wide variety of healthy foods. We are actively committed to reducing food waste and using resources efficiently. From a catering perspective, we have been working on the optimization of raw material stocks in food through management tools that allow us to better adjust inventories and reduce food waste.